To integrate a semiconductor component into an electronic circuit, the component must be packaged. FIG. 1 shows the cross-section of a typical, multi-chip package 5, which includes substrate 6, semiconductor components 7, and molded housing 8. It should be noted that semiconductor components are interconnected inside the package and to external connectors (not shown) by connectors such as bond wires 9A and in some cases conductive clips, e.g. 9B.
Such connectors add to the overall resistance and inductance of the package, and cause undesirable effects such as ringing.
Furthermore, if the package contains heat generating components, in a conventional package such as package 5, a heatsink (not shown) may be thermally coupled to substrate 6 to dissipate the generated heat. The size of the heatsink typically depends on the amount of heat generated. Thus, a large amount of heat would require a larger heatsink. Therefore, heat generation has a bearing on the size of the package.